Shohei Iwahama is a dancer/instructor/choreographer in Houston, TX. Hr began dancing in 2002 under the tutelage of Miyako Kato and eventually performed for her company, Miyako Kato Dance Space, in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2006-2007, he studied at The Ailey School in NY, under a one-year grant from the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan. He received his BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University.

Shohei is currently dancing professionally in the Houston area where he performs with Hope Stone Dance Company. He has also worked with James Sewell Ballet, NobleMotion Dance, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Earthen Vessels, FrenetiCore, and Rednerrus Feil Dance Company. He has performed both nationally and internationally in venues such as The Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Kennedy Center, Amazonas Theater in Manaus, Teatro Guaira in Curitiba, and Tokyo Metropolitan Theater.

This delightful murder mystery ballet leaps from the radio airwaves into the limelight. This collaboration with Garrison Keillor puts dance in the noir with a colorful cast of mavericks and misfits and narration by Keillor himself.

Also on the bill is the world premiere of Ribcage. In its continuing partnership with the Schubert Club, JSB brings live music and dance to the stage of the Cowles Center with a new work created in collaboration with celebrated soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw, composer and arranger Abbie Betinis and stage designer, Steven Rydberg.

Based on the poem Ribcage by Anna George Meek, the piece explores where old meets new and tradition bends to innovation. Musicians joining Ms. Shaw for these performances will be Marc Levine on violin and Jesse Langen on electric guitar.

Steven Rydberg joins the JSB artistic team as Scenic Designer bringing a rich visual aesthetic to the stage throughout the season. His scenic design for Ribcage establishes a highly stylized dream like pastoral setting and his work on Guy Noir brings a pulp fiction noir genre background to the dance.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m., on Oct 24-25, and Oct. 31-Nov. 1, and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 26, and Nov. 2. Find tickets at www.thecowlescenter.org.

The Winter Season Ballet Works Project returns to the intimate TEK BOX from Feb. 6-15 featuring new work by Manhattan-based choreographer Joanne Kotze and Houston based Jane Weiner of Hope Stone Dance. Also on the program will be new works by Amy Earnest and Lance Hardin, co-dance directors at the Reif Center as well as by JSB dancer Nic Lincoln.

The Spring Season features an epic premiere, a “Best of” from Ballet Works Project and new collaboration with hip hop Spoken Word Artist, Dessa from April 24-May 3.

Silk Road, set to the music of acclaimed cellist Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, is a crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures. It is paired with a restaging of Norbert de la Cruz III’s haunting Dusty Realms, which premiered at the 2013 Ballet Works Project. Sewell also teams up with rapper, singer and spoken word artist Dessa with another premiere that rides the driving pulses in Dessa’s music and dives into her poignant and challenging verse.

Season subscriptions are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale October 7, 2014. For more information, visit JSBallet.org/14-15-season. In addition to its main productions, JSB continues to offer family-friendly performances. House lights remain partially lit during these 60-minute performances that invite all ages to engage with dance. For more information, visit JSBallet.org/14-15-season.
About James Sewell Ballet

James Sewell Ballet featured dancer Shohei Iwahama, in the world premiere of “Guy Noir: The Ballet” Oct. 24-Nov.2 at the Goodale Theater of the Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403. Shohei appears courtesy of Hope Stone Dance. (Photo by Erik Saulitis)

James Sewell Ballet was founded in New York City and brought to Minnesota in 1993. The professional company of ten dancers performs innovative work that explores the technical boundaries of ballet and engages with new audiences through outreach initiatives. Nearly two decades later, the company’s critically acclaimed performances move and delight audiences across the country.
About the artistic director

A Minneapolis native, James Sewell studied in New York City at the School of American Ballet with David Howard, and began performing with American Ballet Theatre’s second company. He was a lead dancer with Feld Ballets/NY for six years and has performed as a guest artist with the New York City Ballet, Zvi Gottheiner and Dancers, and Denishawn. Since founding JSB twenty years about Sewell has choreographed more than 70 ballets for his and other companies in the United States and around the world. He is also a former trustee of Dance/USA and a past director of the American Composer’s Forum.